This may be a "no brainer" for some folks, but sometimes it's good to remember the simple stuff.

I pulled my T.I. out for the first time after a after a too-long Winter and Spring with no sailing opportunities. So, my T.I. had spent the past months in a garage, with all the hatches closed. Even though I drained it when I put it away, there was still a bit of water inside the hull probably condensation and left over water from the last sail, but no problems.

After two good days of sailing, I put it away and drained the hull again, just a small bit of water in there, bit also a lot of general moisture. Then it hit me: "Hey, stupid, the same water-tight hatches that keep the water out are keeping the water in while it is sitting in the garage. Why not store it with the hatches open so this moisture can actually evaporate while it is sitting here in the warm and dry garage?"

A friend of mine here in FL left his boat stored with hatches closed and found it full of mold when he opened it. I have never left the hatches closed between uses. Closed hatches put more wear on the hatch seals.

Keith

_________________2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

jerinaldi :Same goes for the sails down here in Florida, I don't sail as often in the winter, and put my boat away in the garage after sailing, and didn't go out again for a month or so. When I got the boat out, the inside of the hull was moldy and smelled really bad. Also when I opened up and unfurled the mainsail, spinnaker and jib sails on my TI they were all moldy and it took quite a bit of work to clean everything up (couldn't go out sailing that weekend because of it). Now I always rinse off and dry the boat and leave the hatches open during storage in the garage (so it doesn't stink). If the sails are damp I open them up in the garage until they are dry. We have a ceiling fan in the garage that helps dry everything, otherwise without the fan in Florida things never dry.

I find if I leave the hatches closed, any water in the hull stays, but because it's salt water nothing inside the dull seems to corrode or mold/mildew. If I store with a hatch open, the water evaporates but leaving the salt behind and items like stainless-steel carabiners corrode quickly. So the best for me has been drain, pump and sponge most of the water out each time, but keep the hatches closed when stored. Then once in a while, rinse completely with fresh water and keep open to air dry.

I live on the dry (leeward) side of Maui, so I can even put my sail away wet without worry of mold/mildew, but don't try that in a not so dry area.

Chekika :I think my problem was I had all three of my wet sails stuffed into the Hobie sail bag with no air circulation, it had been raining that day and it was likely fresh water trapped in there. The jib and spinnaker are rip stop nylon and definitely soak up water and hold it. The Hobie sail was moldy because it was in the same bag with the others, and never got a chance to dry. I likely would not have had a problem if only the Hobie sail had been in there. This was with my old Hobie sail bag which was that grey plastic (like plastic tarp material) that came with the original TI's. My newer black Hobie sail bag is nylon, and much better quality.Bob

Yeah, those bags (the black ones--which are much better than the silver) suck up/siphon in huge amounts of water if you are on the road and it is raining. Still, I never dry my sail even after it gets rain in the bag.

Keith

_________________2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

I found a small office desk fan that is just the size of a Hobie round hatch. It fits inside the hatch ring without falling in. Each time I return home I plug in the fan with the other end hatch open. Boat dry in a couple of days. Only problem: Sea Salt crystals inside the boat.

For the sail I hang the mast/sail from the overhead of the garage unfurled...

I also noticed that if you open the front hatch, resting the hatch on the side held on by the retaining strap, the retaining strap deforms the seal enough to not immediately seal when you go to use it next. So I therefore always unclip the hatch if it's going to be left for a long period.

Some consider it dumb...but...Before I go out I will but 3/4 bleach and 1/4 cup water in the hull. It does not hurt the hull but the reason I started doing it was simple. 3 months in the garage and I black mold inside.By the time I'm done enough water was come in to dilute the bleach even more. Not that the hull leaks...I just push mine very hard.